Did any teachers have it easy over last 11 weeks?

[PicaK]

I nearly lost my shit yesterday with someone who insisted most teachers have had an easy life and not doing a proper day's work during Covid.
I'm not a teacher but many friends are and I don't know any who haven't had a full workload. It's absolutely not the message that's coming across on social media either. Most teachers saying they've done more work.
But then I wondered if my snapshot was accurate.
Does anyone personally know any teacher who has coasted/had an easy ride? (I am not talking about your kids' teachers who you have opinions about but friends or family where you have more insight.)
I'm hoping it's a no tbh and I feel justified for feeling so put out.
Aibu
Yes - yeah the teachers I know have had it easy
No - you're right all the ones I know have worked as much if not more.

Lots of infant schools around here seem to just be emailing twinkl sheets out.

A lot of primary school teachers have had it extremely easy yes

Really? How many are you personally tracking the movements of?

OP, I teach an infant class. I am working much longer hours out of school than I did in. I teach 4 live lessons everyday and individual lessons for each child too to cover any gaps/hear them read/generally catch up. Everything I take for granted in the classroom, I have to try and replicate in a way that is engaging through a screen and this takes an awful lot of prep!

There is little distinction between home life and school now and emails come in late etc. Plus reports need writing.

I have a young family and my school age child has daily videos (2-3 a day) from his teacher plus additional activities. All of which are responded to via the platform they use.

Would love to be in your school Tilda. We get a daily email. That’s it. No teaching marking contact nothing. Parents at other state primaries our small city have the same. Reckon that email would take an hour tops and there are 2 teachers for the year so guess they alternate.

If we take it as given that not all teachers are the same, then surely the hard workers on here must recognise that not all are like them? It is perfectly plausible that many aren't working hard. And of course that will be commented on on here, as it has a direct impact on families.

My workload has been roughly the same throughout, but from this week will increase dramatically.

I have been working on a rota 2-3 days per week but the school day was extended 7:30-6 with no breaks whatsoever - lunch eaten with the children, playtimes supervising the children.

I set 4 hours of work each day for those at home, and marked what was submitted, which was about 50%, on my days working from home.

I set up a dedicated email address to support parents, and a group chat to support pupils. Messages each day were in the dozens (parents) and hundreds (children). On days at home I answered pretty much immediately 24/7, and on days I was in school I had to do those during the evening.

On weekends those messages didn't stop and I answered them.

During holidays I continued my days in school, even though teachers aren't paid for holidays, but only set fun activities and there was no marking. Contact from parents stopped but messages from pupils still needed answering.

Now I am back at school full time teaching Year 6 - but planning must be done on evening Zoom PPA meetings as no PPA in school time.

But I also need to continue planning work for my own Year 3 class, marking submitted work, replying to those dozens/hundreds of daily messages that come through 24/7.

We don't even get a daily email any more MsT...just weekly.

@poloneckknickers my brother is the same. He has absolutely loved this time, done very little work. He is a primary school teacher and says this is the first proper break he has had in years. I don't begrudge him it at all, I used to be a primary school teacher myself and did 60+ hour weeks and worked through the most of the holidays so I do know what it's like.

It does seem to be very dependent on school from reports on here.

DB really didn't want to go back this week but said it hasn't been that bad really... Not long til summer!

Parents wouldn't necessarily know that staff have had to rewrite staff handbook and many school policies, write risk assessments up to 30 pages long, reorganise classrooms and common areas, clean classrooms throughout the day, call pupils we are worried about, conduct home visits in some cases, interpret and implement new government guidance almost daily.

"Would love to be in your school Tilda. We get a daily email."

Do they set work for the day? A daily email setting work sounds ok to me actually, given what they'll be doing behind the scenes.

Look, there's no denying that some teachers will be doing the bare minimum. You get those people in all professions. SLT shouldn't let them get away with it really, and I expect they're driving their colleagues mad. But a lot of the posts on here are upsetting because you really have no idea what is going on behind the scenes.

Surely teaching children should be put above all that stuff (writing policies? really?!) bar safeguarding vulnerable children which surely doesn’t take all the teachers time?

Sorry not buying it

"Surely teaching children should be put above all that stuff (writing policies? really?!) bar safeguarding vulnerable children which surely doesn’t take all the teachers time?"

Well we have to do both in order to teach safely.

"Surely teaching children should be put above all that stuff (writing policies? really?!)"

Yes, SEND provision, school start/finish times, first aid, lunchtime routine and supervision, use of PE equipment, staff meeting expectations, use of resources and equipment, use of other adults/visitors in school and dozens of other things have all changed.

Teachers at our primary school have certainly been working very hard, I know from when we get marked work back that my year 5s teacher in particular must be doing 7 days a week, but he does respond to every single piece of work submitted (12 tasks, so potentially 12x30 to mark, which is mad. He gives proper feedback too)

I work in a secondary school (not a teacher) and can see the huge disparity in the amount of work people are doing there. I know the SENCo has her work cut out for her and has 4 kids at home too, she’s working flat out. But then I know a maths teacher who sets work from their textbooks twice a week then tells them to self mark from the book, who has said to me that is pretty much all she is doing.

My school is very unionised and there is a definite “work your hours only” vibe whereas my kids school they are clearly doing beyond that. Whilst my kids are benefiting I think they deserve a break and I’m glad I work where I do! I think when more kids go in next week there will be a definite pull back from online learning which is going to lead to the perception that they are not doing as much. It’s really hard and I have the utmost respect for them all!

MsTSwift I've detailed my typical week upthread. I've got no reason to lie on an anonymous forum. What's upsetting me most about your posts, and others like them, is that I am working so hard, and so many hours, but my parents will only be seeing the tip of the iceberg. Unless they're a parent I'm supporting daily, all they'll see is my weekly email and the work I mark.

It breaks my heart that they could be on MN right now complaining that all they get from me is a weekly email and the odd bit of marking, that I've only been in school 2-3 days each week.

@rawlikesushi I can imagine. To be honest, that was my experience of teaching in general though. Working harder/ more hours than I ever had in my life and then being faced with people constantly thinking it was an easy ride. It was the combination of those things that pushed me over the edge.

@Beawillalwaysbetopdog fair enough!

Why do some teachers on here who are intelligent adults take my criticisms of the teachers I am having experience of as personal slights? It’s very odd.

If you complained about a lazy solicitor I wouldn’t start justifying myself and getting upset because I know it’s not about me personally!

For me the outrage isn’t the teachers anyway it’s the government instruction to shelve education that shocks me. Friends who are governors feel the same

I had a very nice early few weeks. Not now.

DH heads up an education trust of 3 schools but still does a small amount of teaching as he enjoys it and wants to keep in touch with this side of education.

In addition to his usual role he has been in charge of organising and co-ordinating staff and premises to prepare for the children to go back to school under Covid restrictions. He has been working 80 hour weeks since lockdown, has had no Easter or May half-term break. Weekends invariably need several phone calls or emails to be done.

Honestly, from some of the threads on here lately parents are woefully ignorant and ungrateful for the amount of work the teaching profession have put in to getting their kids back into school as safely as possibly given the circumstances.

Well I’ve not heard a dickey bird from my kids teachers since the week before lockdown (our school shut the week before).

We’ve had nothing marked, no feedback on ay work submitted. To be honest it’s been a real pain and we’ve all but give up! Our summer holidays start officially in 3 weeks, but I feel like ours has started already.

@fromheretonowhere I would expect a HT to be busy organising the return of pupils but what has your dh asked his staff to do by way of supporting the education of pupils since lockdown started?

Surely teaching children should be put above all that stuff (writing policies? really?!)

Absolutely.

In my profession, it wouldn’t be acceptable to bin off my main function (serving client work) no matter what else I have to do.

My son’s teacher usually spends 20+ hours with them in the classroom. We’re now getting 2 generic worksheets a week which will be taking her half an hour tops to send out. Nothing else.